


Somebody To Love

by alisayamin (sh_04e)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bromance, Bromance to Romance, Denial, Developing Relationship, First Kiss, Gen, Heartbreak, Hugs, Keith is only bratty with shiro and matt, M/M, Neck Kissing, Pre-Kerberos Mission, Rescue, Reunions, Sheith Secret Santa 2017, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), Vines, illegal racing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-03-15 03:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13604688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sh_04e/pseuds/alisayamin
Summary: Shiro never thought it was physically possible to wake up because Matt started playing that awful song again but he did.'Caaaaaaaaaan…. Anybodyyy? Find meeee, somebody tooo loooooovee~'The worst part was? Matt was actually studying at the dining table and would alternate between pausing and playing the song according to what Shiro was doing. He was just standing up from where he had accidentally slept on the couch when the song continued, 'Ooh, each morning I get up I die a little… Can barely stand on my feet!'As he went inside the bathroom to wash his face, he could hear the continuation, '(Take a look at yourself) Take a look in the mirror and cry (and cry), lord what you're doing to me?'By the time he was preparing his daily bowl of cereal, that horrible line was repeating again, 'Somebody (somebody) ooh somebody (somebody). Can anyyybodyyy find meee somebody to love?''I work hard (he works hard) every day of my life' Shiro twisted his neck to the side until it made a popping sound that made Matt look over at him and grimace deeply, 'I work till I ache in my bones- I work till I ache my bones- I work till I ache my bones- I work till I ache my bones-'





	Somebody To Love

**Author's Note:**

> Pinch-hitter gift for Ashie~!!! (Twitter @ hellspawndolly and Tumblr @ reversible-doll or misanthropicat) 
> 
> I'll be honest with you, I have like 4 other unfinished fics due to your prompts but I just-- couldn't finish any of them cuz I always got stuck I'm so sorry ;w; IF I EVER COMPLETE THEM I'LL TAG YOU

 

Shiro never thought it was physically possible to wake up because Matt started playing that awful song again but he did.

_“Caaaaaaaaaan…. Anybodyyy? Find meeee, somebody tooo loooooovee~”_

The worst part was? Matt was actually studying at the dining table and would alternate between pausing and playing the song according to what Shiro was doing.

He was just standing up from where he had accidentally slept on the couch when the song continued, _“Ooh, each morning I get up I die a little… Can barely stand on my feet!”_

As he went inside the bathroom to wash his face, he could hear the continuation, _“(Take a look at yourself) Take a look in the mirror and cry (and cry), lord what you're doing to me?”_

By the time he was preparing his daily bowl of cereal, that horrible line was repeating again, _“Somebody (somebody) ooh somebody (somebody). Can anyyybodyyy find meee somebody to love?”_

 _“I work hard (he works hard) every day of my life_ ” Shiro twisted his neck to the side until it made a popping sound that made Matt look over at him and grimace deeply, “ _I work till I ache in my bones- I work till I ache my bones- I work till I ache my bones- I work till I ache my bones-“_

Shiro gave Matt his most unimpressed face (which Matt challenged with his own poker face) but Matt was still rewinding that one single line again and again and again, until finally, Shiro relented.

He happily buried his face in his crossed arms as he admitted defeat, “FINE. You win. I’ll take the weekend off.”

Matt got up from his seat with the most triumphant smile and began singing to his favourite Queens song. Honestly, sometimes Shiro wasn’t sure who the commanding officer in the room was anymore.

 

* * *

 

When Shiro first met Matt, it was when they found out they were roommates. Although they were in different programs, Matt was always there for Shiro. He was like the annoying brother Shiro never thought he’d meet. Even after Shiro became an instructor at the Garrison, he refused to move out from their shared quarters. Pros: Matt cared for Shiro and would make sure he ate and slept accordingly. Cons: Matt cared for Shiro and would force Shiro to take some time off from Garrison by giving him tickets to watch illegal races.

Shiro was walking to the secret track while simultaneously talking to Matt on his communicator that dual-functioned as a wristwatch as well, “Remind me again why you even had this pass. Do you really expect me to believe it was because of some racer?”

 **“Hey, Keith is awesome!  Make sure you bet him for me. He’s usually the one in red, number 23. And c’mon Shiro, loosen up!”** Matt shrugged with a smug grin.

Shiro was already starting to regret his decision, “I’m a certified Garrison pilot who’s about to watch ILLEGAL racing-“

Matt’s expression suddenly became serious as he cut Shiro off, **“Yeah but you gotta watch him. You’ll understand. Trust me.”**

And that sealed the deal. Because if anything, Matt was the only Shiro truly trusted at the Garrison.

Shiro stared at Matt through his communicator before giving a curt nod, “I’m reaching the vicinity. Call you later.”

 **“Have fun!”** Matt waved happily before he disconnected.  

When Shiro reached the marked building on his digital map, he went inside. It was a typical abandoned establishment in an abandoned city. He traveled quite far to watch this particular race so he hoped it was worth it. Following Matt’s instruction, Shiro walked to the ‘white ring’ and laid the ticket backside up on his palm. Abruptly, a red light scanned Shiro’s body and the ticket from the ceiling above him before it dispersed as suddenly as it appeared. Shiro felt a rumbling at his feet before the ‘white ring’ started descending underground.

It was a quiet ride that slowly grew louder as the walls opened up to a huge stadium. Shiro’s eyes grew wide with awe at the massive size of the underground track. From his still descending platform, Shiro had a clear semi-aerial view of the whole place. He saw that the rocky track was uneven and looked natural rather than man-made.

Blinding lights streamed from above. Reflective surfaces were used to direct the beams towards the race track, creating an incredible stage lighting effect.

When the platform finally reached the bottom, Shiro found himself lost in the crowds. Matt assured him that as long as he found his seat, he’d be able to bet and watch the race safely. The crowds were basically those that couldn’t get the passes but still wanted to watch the race. Shiro wondered how they found their way inside since the place was so deep underground.

It took longer than he thought to navigate through the masses but he was lucky to be on the right side of the stadium where his seat was located. The LED lights illuminating Shiro’s seat changed from red to green after he scanned his pass again at the small scanner located on the edge of the left armrest. Instantly, a rectangular touch-sensitive virtual display appeared in front of him; the betting screen.

The racers were labeled by colour and numbers. Names seemed to be optional since not many racers had placed their names in that particular section. Shiro scrolled for ‘Keith’ and made sure that it was also labeled ‘red’ and ‘23’. Matt betted a hefty sum for this ‘Keith’, enough for Shiro to pitch in his own units. Once the units were transferred, Shiro confirmed his bets. The display shrunk to a smaller screen on top of the right armrest.

Shiro perked up when he heard the familiar rumbling of a well-tuned aircraft. He looked upwards just in time to see a distinct red hovercraft swooping over his head. Shiro felt as though time slowed in that split second. It was surreal to watch the underbelly of a real flying (probably illegal) aircraft so close to his face. The resulting wind that slammed him into his seat was exhilarating. Shiro secretly wished he could ride his own hovercraft at that moment. Instantaneously, twelve other hovercrafts flew towards the track from all corners of the stadium. The crowds’ cheers drowned the revving engines as the racers took their position.

There was a commentator riling up the crowds and announcing odds of the possible winner. Shiro would have paid attention if he wasn’t so focused on the racers themselves. He noticed that there was definitely a major difference between the size (and age) of the other racers and this… ‘Keith’. Compared to the others, ‘Keith’ was practically a child! Shiro imagined Matt hitting his head for mocking someone’s height. Okay, Shiro conceded, ‘Keith’ was at least a young adult. A teenager. _In an illegal race track_. Racing _illegally_.

All sorts of alarms started ringing in Shiro’s head. Before he could properly organize his thoughts, a loud bang resounded throughout the stadium, signifying the start of the race.

Shiro literally forgot all about ‘Keith’ and that person’s age when he saw the smooth maneuvers that red aircraft was pulling off. The track was somewhat inconsistent, divided between a smoother pathway and a rocky one. The red aircraft, number 23, young adult ‘Keith’, was the only one in that rocky part of the track. And it was…

It was breathtaking.

Shiro himself had only ever did half those stunts strictly in simulators. Yet, here was a kid doing it with twice the risk and twice the skill Shiro could ever hope for. The control was flawless and the skill was.. Shiro couldn’t describe it as anything but ‘instinctual’. ‘Keith’ piloted that aircraft as though they were one. Matt had said before _“You could take your eyes off him but you WON’T.”_ Shiro had scoffed back then. Yet, there he was, eyes figuratively glued to the red aircraft with a striking ‘23’ painted on the right wing.

By the time that red aircraft made it through the finish line first, Shiro was on his feet, clapping enthusiastically. He even cheered along with the crowds. The pilot of the winning aircraft came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the stadium and took off his helmet.

And Shiro received confirmation that ‘Keith’ was in fact, a teenager. His body was small and was of average height, probably 17, black hair styled into a mullet and he had a strong posture. Even from afar, Shiro could tell that despite his size and age, ‘Keith’ was not a child. ‘Keith’ walked to the podiums where the commentator was excitedly announcing all the amazing stunts ‘Keith’ had pulled.

As the commentator raised the winning pilot’s fist, Shiro was hit with an epiphany. Matt never did anything without a reason. And Shiro just realized what Matt wanted him to do and what he was already planning on doing the moment ‘Keith’ navigated his aircraft through a small curved cave that shouldn’t have been _possible_.

Shiro was going to recruit ‘Keith’ into the Garrison space pilot program.

 

* * *

 

Keith politely shook hands with the other racers that approached him. He was only going to stay till he received his units and not a minute longer. Unfortunately, he could feel eyes on him. Someone from the stands was watching him too intensely for his liking. By the end of the race, people would usually rush to reap their rewards from their bets at the collection counters. No one would stay behind to watch the racers or anything.

So when that uneasy feeling remained, Keith kept his guard up. The underground stadium was one of the more secure race tracks, so for it to be compromised would be very bad news indeed.

Keith started to undress from his racing garment, allowing him access for his dagger and other accessories in his utility belt to help with escape if he needed it. He would do anything to escape the system. Keith had just put on his red jacket when he heard incoming footsteps.

“Hi there.” Someone spoke from behind Keith.

As a reflex, Keith pressed the panic button on his wristband and withdrew his dagger, pointing it towards the suspicious intruder. Alerted by the panic button, everyone within a 100-meter radius withdrew their own weapons; guns, knives and other melee weapons, towards the person that was deemed a threat by Keith.

Said person simply raised his hands in a placating gesture. His eyes were wide and genuinely frightened but Keith didn’t take any chances.

“Scan him.” Keith commanded.

One of the other racers did so using a minipad and then announced, “Status, Garrison personnel. Pass holder, Matt Holt.”

Keith’s eyes narrowed at the stranger, “You’re _not_ Matt.”

“N-no but I _am_ Garrison personnel.” The stranger gulped audibly as he continued, “I came in Matt’s place. He’s my roommate.”  

Keith felt something loosen inside him as he remembered Matt telling him all about his ‘workaholic roommate’. The stranger definitely fitted Matt’s description of the hair and body type. Keith reluctantly lowered his dagger, “Shiro?”

The intruder looked taken aback, “Yeah.. How did you-“

Shiro seemed to forget all about the hostility around him as Keith heard Shiro mumbling to himself about how he was going to kill Matt six ways from Sunday.

“What do you want with Keith?” one of the racers asked with his gun still pointing in Shiro’s direction.

Without looking at the asker, Shiro stared straight at Keith and gave his answer, “I want to recruit Keith into the Garrison space pilot program.”

Then, it was time for Keith and everyone else to be surprised instead. The tense atmosphere broke with laughter. Keith would’ve laughed too if Shiro didn’t have so much conviction in his voice and if he wasn’t looking at Keith with such.. sincerity.

The others soon picked up on the seriousness of Shiro’s confession and the laughter died off.

“You’re serious.” The commentator deadpanned.

Shiro nodded, “Absolutely. If he comes under my recommendation, all he has to do is pass the entrance exam. I can help with that and so can Matt.”

All weapons were lowered and all eyes were on Keith. The teenager looked conflicted as he frowned at Shiro. Keith couldn’t comprehend Shiro’s desire to recruit him so he voiced out a soft but incredulous, “… _why?_ ”

The smile Shiro gave him was honest and warm, “Because if we had pilots with even half your skill, we’d be visiting Kerberos annually.”

Those words struck a familiar chord inside Keith. He allowed a small smile towards Shiro, “Matt said the exact same thing.”

“I’m not surprised.” Shiro rolled his eyes, “So? What do you say?”

Matt had once told Keith that his background wouldn’t be a problem if a Garrison personnel (especially someone like Shiro who was the Garrison golden boy) recommended him. He had lived the past few years as a runaway orphan, reading books from the public libraries, travelling with various mechanics to earn his keep, building his own aircraft and winning units through racing. Maybe it’d be nice to settle in one place to learn properly for once.

And if Matt and Shiro were a symbol of the Garrison, that place shouldn’t be too bad.

“I’m in.”

 

* * *

 

“You’re FIFTEEN?” Shiro gaped at Keith.

They couldn’t bring Keith’s (very illegal) hovercraft so Shiro opted to leave it in a secluded outpost somewhere in the desert. They were currently lounging on the porch together, watching the stars above.  

“I thought we established that already.” Keith sat at the porch steps while Shiro was leaning on the pillar to Keith’s left.

“NO. We established greetings and names, not YOUR AGE.”

Keith crossed his arms, “Drop it.”

Upon receiving the learning texts required to pass the entrance exam from Matt (through Shiro), Keith politely returned them to Shiro, saying that he had read them before. Shiro called bullshit and began quizzing Keith, only to eat his own words later when Keith answered every question correctly.

Keith caught Shiro sighing blissfully while staring at the stars. There was something about Shiro’s love of space that made Keith want to feel it too.

“I wanna explore all that one day…” Shiro whispered wistfully, “Just.. go wherever the stars trail to.”

Shiro turned to Keith, “Wanna come with?”

Keith played along, “Only if you’re leading the mission.”

“Ho? Why’s that?”

Keith didn’t answer but he’d figured that someone who loved space as much as Shiro did would always make it out alive somehow.

 

* * *

 

Rumours flew around the Garrison about Shiro adopting a stray. If that stray was an increasingly infuriating brat called Keith, Shiro would readily admit that rumour. Not one month since his enrollment and Keith was already beating every single one of Shiro’s records. Truthfully, that was all he was striving to do. Keith lived to watch Shiro’s face when he found out that Keith had beat his score.

Keith did well enough in class but he lacked participation and did not get along with his classmates. Shiro knew Keith was not used to regular human interaction and it took a long time to get those stories out about Keith’s past. But once it was out, Shiro tried making up for all the social interaction Keith needed to learn normalcy. Animosity among teenagers was something Shiro wished he never had to deal with but Keith was someone Shiro never wanted to see hurt.

Every time Keith excelled and gained fame for his piloting skills, many interpreted it as Keith being arrogant and a ‘show-off’. Shiro knew about all the ‘lessons’ some cadets would make Keith learn for being favoured by Shiro and the other instructors. Matt could wash away all the bloody cloths he used to help Keith but nothing could ever remove the black bruises from Keith’s body before Shiro found out. And Keith, being the stubborn brat he was, would never admit who exactly held him down while other people kicked the shit out of him.

Keith fought back of course, but never more than he needed to get away. Although Shiro never said it, Keith understood that as ‘Shiro’s recommended’, everything Keith did would reflect on Shiro too.

Shiro’s solution to the ‘secret beatings’? Secret self-defense lesson. Unfortunately, Keith could disarm and throw Shiro to the ground in no time. That was when Shiro realized that Keith didn’t use his full strength against his classmates. They were lucky too. Shiro and Keith had matching bruises soon.

Matt’s solution to the ‘secret beatings’? A vine account. A _Garrison_ vine account. Where he used every blackmail material possible and posted incredibly embarrassing moments of almost every cadet in the academy.

It definitely distracted everyone from Keith, especially since no one knew who was behind the account (because of course Shiro, Matt and Keith would post stupid shit about each other as well).

Matt posted a vine of Shiro sleeping during a class after he had handed out quizzes.

Shiro posted a vine of Keith being smashed with a pie (from Matt) on his face for his birthday.

Keith posted a vine of Shiro constantly squeezing shampoo onto a panicking Matt who was shouting because no matter how badly he washed, the shampoo was _still there._

 

* * *

 

Once a month, Keith and Shiro spent the weekend at the outpost in the desert. Shiro taught Keith about the constellations while they're both on their back, lying on the cool night sands. 

In the mornings, Keith would give Shiro mini heart attacks by flying his hovercraft at full speed with Shiro as the passenger. 

Keith enjoyed Shiro's panicked rants and shouts but not as much as Shiro enjoyed Keith's rare laugh and the way Keith looked with the wind against his smiling face.

 

* * *

 

Shiro was chosen to be part of the Kerberos mission. So was Matt.

Keith promised to take over the vine account and continue their legacy.

Shiro hugged Keith for the first time the night before he left. Keith didn’t know why he felt like crying when he was Shiro’s arms. It wasn’t goodbye but Shiro’s strong grip was misleading.

After Shiro let Keith go, he gently tilted Keith’s chin up and kissed him softly on the lips.

 

* * *

 

The rumours of Shiro and Matt being the owner of the Garrison vine account became null because the account was still running even after they left.

For 6 months, the vine account posted daily videos of the variety of students in Garrison. Those that pick their nose in secret, those that sang in the showers, those that were caught dancing with very risqué moves through the dorm windows, those that slept in class, and those that simply had funny things to say.

 

* * *

  

The Garrison vine account died the day the Kerberos mission was announced to have failed due to a pilot error.

 

* * *

 

Keith couldn’t stay.

He couldn’t stay and be ridiculed and lied to by people who said Shiro and Matt were dead.

Shiro was not dead.

Someone who loved space as much as Shiro did would not just die. And Shiro would not let anything happen to Matt. Besides, they promised to explore the stars together.

Shiro was not dead.

Keith ditched everything and left the academy. He went to the outpost in the desert to retrieve his hovercraft. Some of his and Shiro’s clothes were still there from when they would stayover so that Keith could tune his hovercraft.

Shiro was not dead.

Keith let himself wander with his hovercraft. Two weeks later, he realized that he was flying circles around a certain spot. A month of exploration later, Keith found the markings of ‘Voltron’. Few weeks later, he had all the markings on paper. He calculated the dates from the data he found using the formula he learned to derive from Matt. Something was going to happen soon.

Shiro was not dead.

There was a crash on the night Keith predicted something would happen. Although he believed that Shiro wasn’t dead, it was different to actually see and touch Shiro for real. He used his hovercraft to get Shiro (and the extra baggage) to safety.

Shiro was not dead.

When Shiro woke up on the bed they shared many times in the outpost, Keith didn’t hesitate to hug him. They stayed in each other’s arms for a long time. Keith wanted to ask about Matt, about the mission, about the past year and Shiro’s whereabouts but at that moment, he wished time would stop. Shiro’s grip was as tight as the night he hugged Keith before his mission.

Keith felt the urge to cry again but he didn’t stop it this time. He would let himself break just this one time, to embrace the fact that Shiro was not dead. When Shiro pulled Keith in for a kiss, Keith didn’t question it. He responded as desperately as Shiro was giving it to him. They never spoke about it, whatever that was happening between them but Keith was fine with it. He’d give Shiro anything he needed. Matt once said (sang) to Keith that Shiro needed somebody to love, someone to lead him home when he lost his way in space.

As Shiro’s hands began tentatively mapping Keith’s back, and his lips began trailing soft kisses down Keith’s neck, Keith thought to himself that he had already become Shiro’s beacon. Keith promised to himself that day that he’d always bring Shiro home no matter how many times it takes.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone needs somebody to love. They remind you why you still need to live and breathe. I hope all of y'all have someone to love.


End file.
